Re: "Washington Caved In to Turkey Over Armenia," by Jonathan Clarke, Commentary, Oct. 27:

I read your commentary about the recent "sell-out" of the Armenian Genocide resolution in-the Los Angeles Times. How refreshing to find a commentary which is forthright and masterfully articulate. Thanks for your honesty and courage.

It is so saddening that the only remaining superpower in the world succumbed to Turkish threats by killing the resolution. The opponents of this resolution, who are unfortunately quite a few, worked hand in hand with Turkey and used every despicable trick to torpedo its adoption.

Politics is too often full of half-truths, immorality and obstruction of the historical facts. Armenians perished at the hands of the Turks in 1915. No one can deny that.

However, for our government, all that matters is the baseless assumption that the national and strategic interests were at stake. The truth is that its only purpose was to eliminate any reference to the Armenian Genocide.

As an Armenian-American columnist originally from Cyprus and an eyewitness of that island's invasion by Turkey in 1974, 1 hope and pray that the U.S. Government will come to its senses one day and see the light in order to show a basic understanding of, and sensitivity toward, our feelings.

In the meantime, I can assure you that the struggle for the recognition of the Armenian Genocide will go on unabated.

Vartkes Sinanian
Montrose, CA

The British government's position regarding the Armenian allegations [of genocide], as declared at the House of Lords on July 13, is as follows: "In the absence of unequivocal evidence to show that the Ottoman administration took a specific decision to eliminate the Armenians, British governments have not recognized the events of 1915-16 as genocide." The British attempt at the end of World War I to punish Ottoman officials on the charges of massacre ended with the dropping of all charges due to the lack of evidence.

History cannot be legislated and it is not the playground of shortsighted politicians whose only concern is to please their constituencies, even if it takes the distortion of another nation's past. Today, the time is over for digging out old enmities. Clarke has no moral or legitimate right to question, let alone to judge, Turkey's past.

Aykut Berk
Ambassador-Consul General
Republic of Turkey, Los Angeles

It's about time someone like Clarke had the courage to openly point out the non-humanitarian interests of a nation that prides itself on humanitarian intervention. The game of politics is once again played (can we forget Lebanon, Cyprus, the Balkans?), and the losers are the Armenians, for their "insignificant" political, strategic and economic role to the Clinton administration. In this game, the Armenians are the pawns, but the U.S. is the one that has been dealt the checkmate, by Turkey. So who is the pawn now?

Silva Katchiguian
Upland, CA

Editor's note: The last two letters were published in the November 5, 2000 issue of the Los Angeles Times.